2019
ENGAGING EVERY STUDENT UPDATE GERMANTOWN ACADEMY
STRATEGIC VISION
OUR VISION
Germantown Academy will distinguish itself as a leader in student engagement.
Dear Friends, At the start of each year we present you with an update on our progress toward achieving the Germantown Academy Strategic Vision. In particular, we like to highlight new and expanded ways we are fulfilling the goal of exceptional learning through engagement. After four years of pursuing this Vision, we remain proud of the incredible strides our faculty, administrators, and students are making in transforming the GA experience. Enclosed you will find moments great and small, all geared toward creating a vibrant community of passionate, lifelong learners. Enjoy the journey!
• Library & Learning Commons • Lower School Triathlon • Student-Led Math Center • Faculty Mini-Observations • Connect to the World Beyond GA • Robotics
Best,
• One Day Academy
2019
Rich Schellhas Head of School
UPDATE
STRATEGIC VISION
On the front cover: In the Summer of 2019, students learned perseverance and collaboration as they paddled through New England during a GAXP outdoor experience trip.
2019
LIBRARY & LEARNING COMMONS The vision behind the newest space on campus – The A to Z Library and Learning Commons – was to design a space to NURTURE the love for reading, INSPIRE creativity, ENCOURAGE collaboration, and INSTILL the spirit of innovation in Germantown Academy students. The design, developed with input from students and faculty, supports an
with dynamic spaces to engage learners in both the independent and collaborative experiences of exploration and learning. Opening this fall, the new Library and Learning Commons will certainly be the academic and community hub of the Lower School.
educational shift from a traditional library model to a multifaceted model intended to blend traditional library resources
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2019
LOWER SCHOOL TRIATHLON A new biking program was introduced to our 4th and 5th grade students last year, which completed the “trifecta� our Lower School Physical Education classes needed to create our first-ever triathlon! What better way to engage our students and teach them to work hard and embrace challenges than with a triathlon?! Taking full advantage of our incredible campus, the race included a 100-yard swim, a 2-mile bike ride through The Preserve, and a half-mile run across the finish line in front of cheering fans on Connor Quad. In addition to promoting healthy habits and lifelong fitness, triathlons help students develop their planning and organizational skills. More than 100 students enjoyed the hard work, collaboration, and excitement all rolled into one in this awesome new program.
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2019
STUDENT-LED MATH CENTER Peer-tutoring began last year in the Middle School through the new student-led Math Center. Faculty knew this would be a win-win for students who receive assistance through collaboration on math assignments as their student tutors gain experience in leadership and service. Once accepted as a tutor, 8th grade students receive special training and strategies to help their fellow students. Knowing that good tutoring is based on mutual respect and trust, students are encouraged to help their peers with how to learn, and not just solve the problem. While faculty members are present to supervise the Center, the students truly are the teachers. The Math Center is definitely building momentum and quickly becoming a hub for collaborative learning in our Middle School.
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2019
FACULTY MINI-OBSERVATIONS In 2017-18, GA’s Middle School first piloted a faculty mini-observation program that has become a useful complement to the traditional formal evaluation process. Based on the initial success, the pilot expanded in 2018-19. Through a series of short, unannounced visits to the classrooms of participating faculty, the administrative team gives teachers meaningful, actionable feedback on their practice. Shortly after each visit, the teacher and observer reflect on the lesson, collaboratively developing concrete ideas for building student engagement in learning. We know that truly engaging teachers remain committed to lifelong learning in order to meet the ever-evolving needs of our students. The frequent visits allow the administrative team to develop a broad picture of each teacher's talents and support them in their quest for continuous professional growth.
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2019
CONNECT TO THE WORLD BEYOND GA
Many Germantown Academy Upper School students spent the better part of last year exploring the nearby borough of Ambler, a rejuvenated town just around the corner from GA’s campus, as part of “Looking at Ambler,” a multi-disciplinary, multi-departmental, collaborative project, which included visual art, performing art, English, history, math, and science classes. Faculty worked collaboratively to develop curricula exploring the town, its residents, and, most importantly, its fascinating evolution over the many years. A significant resource was Reach Ambler, the Science History Institute’s inter-disciplinary project, which delved
Upper School
deeply into how Ambler’s residents and environment were, and in ways still are, affected by its legacy of asbestos manufacturing. Students also heard presentations by archivist Nancy Sullivan of the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Ambler Mayor Jeanne Sorge and Ambler Main Street Manager Elizabeth Kunziera, and a talk by Jack Benfield, Professor of Psychological/ Social Studies at Penn State University – Abington. Students shared their findings with their peers during an assembly and hosted an art exhibit in Ambler to share with the larger community.
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2019
ROBOTICS
In the VEX Robotics Competition, presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, teams of students are tasked with designing and building a robot to compete against other teams from around the world in a game-based engineering challenge. Classroom STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) concepts are put to the test as students learn lifelong skills in teamwork, leadership, communications, and more. The GA VEX Robotics team completed an incredible year of competitions, finishing second among 22 teams at the VEX Firebird VRC Winter Competition, winning first place at the state competition against 86 teams, and traveling to the world championship in Kentucky.
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2019
ONE DAY ACADEMY During the 2018-19 school year, the Parents of Alumni Association, in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Advancement, created and hosted the inaugural One Day Academy. This program, aimed at continuing engagement with our parent of alumni community, offered participants an opportunity to take classes from distinguished GA faculty and
Community
experience why their kids have proudly credited GA with instilling in them a love of learning. Each class was filled to capacity and the plan is to expand the program and offer it to alumni as well this coming year.
• Work Hard and Embrace Challenge • Demonstrate Resilience and Perseverance • Listen Well and Communicate Thoughtfully • Develop Critical Thinking Skills • Seek and Share Their Passions • Create and Innovate • Learn Actively and Collaboratively • Express Curiosity and Ask Questions • Take Academic Risks • Connect to the World Beyond GA
• Inspire Interest in and Passion for their Subjects • Offer Varied Multi-Sensory Learning Experiences and Assessments • Teach Critical Thinking Skills • Stimulate Intellect, Curiosity, and Academic Risk Taking • Challenge and Support Appropriately • Strive for Growth and Improvement • Draw Connections to the World • Cultivate Problem Solving and Resilience
ENGAGED PARENTS
• Encourage Their Children to Live the Mission
• Support Their Children’s Involvement in the GA Community • Help Build the GA Community • Serve as Ambassadors for GA • Remain Actively Informed • Partner with Their Children’s Teachers, Coaches, and Administrators • Know Their Children’s Friends • Model the Civility Pledge
• Promote a Creative, Innovative Spirit • Know Students as Learners and as Individuals
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY
2019
ENGAGED STUDENTS
ENGAGED AND ENGAGING TEACHERS
UPDATE
STRATEGIC VISION